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Garage Door Tools & Technical Support

One of the most important tools for garage door repair is a pair of winding bars. Winding bars traditionally come in three lengths: 18", 24" and 36". The 18" winding bars, such as the standard residential winding bar picture on the right (WB-18), are suitable for residential and light commercial doors. The longer winding bars become necessary when working on heavier commercial and industrial overhead doors as the springs hold more tension. Having a longer moment arm makes winding and unwinding stronger springs much easier.

Another important characteristic of winding bars is the diameter. Failure to use a tight-fitting winding bar in a winding cone may result in the destruction of the cone, personal injury, or even death. Many winding bars come with two diameters by machining the ends to different lengths, as shown in winding bar in the middle (WB-24a). This is helpful when servicing multiple doors as the cones may differ between each system.

We also offer some of our winding bars with a hexagonal grip along the middle such as the 36" bar with 5/8" and 1/2" ends shown on the left (WB-36h). This can speed up the spring-changing process as the winding bars are less likely to fall to the floor.